wowwikifandomcom-20200223-history
Mythic creatures
This page is dedicated to finding matches between mythological creatures from Earth and the fictional Warcraft counterparts. ---- You can add a new race or species using the following template: : Name (mythic beast, NOT the Warcraft name!) :Where: the culture, mythology, region or tradition :Corresponding Warcraft Species: Mob name :Quote(s): a reference from something published :Explanation/analysis Please keep the list alphabetically ordered. If you wish to debate whether or not something is a true match, please discuss it on the discussion page in the matching section. Do not debate on the main page. You may discretely put a link to this page on relevant creature pages. For purposes of this page, all religions are considered mythological. Angel Where: Originally Greek angelos, Zoroastrian Amesha Spentas and Yazatas, Abrahamic angels, archangels, etc. (The Zoroastrian and Abrahamic versions are the archetypical angels) Corresponding Warcraft Species: Naaru, Elune *"Hmmm... what to use? A little knowledge is a dangerous thing? No, too obvious... Evil beware the word of God? Ah, YES! Let Evil beware the weight of the Word of God!"- St. Hypatia of Alexandria, after slaying a demon with a Bible in The Shadow of the Lion by Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint, and Dave Freer The Greek angelos simply means "messenger." Technically, any number of minor gods, such as Iris, Nemesis and Nike, were messengers from the gods, though it must be noted that they were deities in their own right. A similar, but radically different, tradition, emerges in Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of Persia. Here, angelic beings, ranging from mortals to gods, fought the evil deity, Angra Mainyu, by teaching humans how to live in accordance with the light. This conception of angels, along with the word itself, was borrowed by the Jews who returned to the Holy Land. The idea became the modern cultural image of protectors and warriors who protected mankind against the Devil, in much the same way the Naaru defend mortal races from Sargeras. Basilisk/Cockatrice Where: Greek mythology, later on, European folklore. Corresponding Warcraft species: Basilisk, Cockatrice Quote: Dragons, A natural history, by Dr. Karl Shuker, p.96. "In early times, on of the most feared monsters...was the basilisk...hailed as the king of serpents. Upon its head it bore...three white tubercles. It could kill the largest animal and split asunder the biggest boulder with a single glance from its deadly eyes." The Basilisk is extremely popular in most forms of fantasy (a large number of readers will recognize the major antagonist from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), in some cases as a traditional snake, in others as a sort of lizard. Though it is generally beilieved that Basilisks are capable of reproducing normally, it is possible to create a Basilisk through a sort of magickal ritual- this species was not thought to breed naturally, the arcane offspring of a chicken and a toad. This parentage created the composite "Cockatrice" image of a serpent with certain elements of chicken biology. As a rule of thumb, "basilisk" refers to the creature itself, while "cockatrice" refers to the composite chicken/serpent imagery. The Basilisk's gaze is (in most versions) deadly to all but a very few. It has been announced that the Cockatrice is the new mount for the Blood Elf race, implying a notable difference between the Basilisk of WoW and what the new mount will be. Centaur Where: Greek mythology Corresponding Warcraft species: Centaur The Centaurs are fairly popular beings in Greek mythology, but myths pertaining to them directly are not plentiful. The handful of tales that survive relate the nature of a boisterous race of horse-men who care only for drinking and numerous other vices. They were believed to the be sons of a demigod who lived to the north of Thrace. Despite the barbaric nature of centaurs in general, certain centaurs were renowned for their wisdom. Chiron, for example, was the teacher of the greatest of Greek heroes, including Achilles, Heracles, Jason, and Theseus. Most fantasy today gives the Centaurs the position of wise and gentle teachers, wiser and older than humans, after Chiron's example. Warcraft's version of the Centaurs are more in keeping with the mythology, although the culture of the centaurs is closer to that of the Mongols or the Huns than than the Thracians. Chimera Where: Greek mythology. Corresponding Warcraft species: Chimaera The Chimera's appearance is a source of debate, as descriptions merely claim it to be part goat, part serpent, and part lion. The most traditional representations have paint the Chimera as a lion with a snake for a tail and a goat's head sprouting from its back. All the heads could apparently breathe flame. There was only one Chimera in Greek Mythology, where it is the nemesis of the hero Bellerophon. The hero (like almost all of them, a son of Zeus) exploited the Chimera's one weakness- its inability to fly- and killed it from the back of the winged horse, Pegasus. The word "chimera" today usually refers to something blending the features of several different animals. The two-headed, draconic creatures who have allied themselves with the Night Elves fit more closely with this definition. Demon Where: Abrahamic mythology, Semitic mythologies for the "classic" image, but most mythologies have similar monsters. Corresponding Warcraft species: Demon, Eredar (Burning Legion), Dreadlords, etc. The word "demon" applies to anything evil, hideous or antagonistic that seeks to consume, destroy, or otherwise make life miserable. They are found in all cultures in some form or another. Ironically, the original Greek, daimon simply means "spirit," with no specific evil connotations- encountering an agathos daimon was a good thing. Images of demons are as varied as the cultures they come from, so there is no one image that could have inspired the minions of the Burning Legion. The Doomguard are the traditional horned, winged demon the West is used to, while the Eredar bear a closer resemblance to the near-human denizens of Hell in Egypt and the Far East. The Nathrezim may have been inspired by the Nephilim who appear in the Bible- aside from the name, they appear similar to the traditional interpretation of Nephilim in other fantasy media. It is worth noting that while the cultural image of a demon was inspired by the development of modern western religion, the term "demon" can apply to any mythological figure who is not human and consorts with the powers of darkness. Tezcatlipoca of Maya and Aztec mythology was worshipped as a god, but had the characteristics of a demon, while Lilitu of Sumerian mythology was both a goddess and a demoness. Dragon Where: Most human cultures. Corresponding Warcraft species: Dragon Aspects, the Dragonflights *"It is easy to forget their other side; easy to forget that they were creatures... who did all they could to survive. So easy to forget, that they were so much more than mere monsters."- Dragons: An Animal Planet Special The image of the dragon is recognizable everywhere, despite the differences in appearance from culture to culture. The Warcraft model leans more toward the European model of a four-legged dragon with wings than their serpentine Far Eastern counterparts. The separate flights are the creation of Knaak or Metzen. Dragons are the most popular staple of European legend, Chinese mythology, and modern fantasy. By tradition, the dragons of Europe are typically evil beyond words, while their Asian cousins are divine beings and are usually altruistic. The intelligence of the European dragon was never established- they are invariably smarter than humans or mere animals. Asian dragons are almost always more intelligent than us mortals. Wyvern Where: European folklore. Corresponding Warcraft species: Wyvern Despite their mammalian qualities in warcraft, Wyverns are actually a type of reptilian dragon heard of in northern and eastern Europe. Wyverns were easily determined from other dragons by their four, rather than six, limbs. Wyverns were bipedal- their wings grew out from their forelimbs. Of course, the Wyverns could breathe flame (typically from the nostrils, whereas dragons were typically able to exhume flame through the mouth). The Wyvern had an even worse reputation than the dragon- while dragons could be benign or wise, Wyverns didn't seem to be sentient. In heraldry, the wyvern was never used for a crest or coat of arms among the greater powers of Europe (though the beast was known as far west as England). The more leonine Wyverns of Warcraft were intended to fit the Horde's newer, wiser image, and contrast the evil-looking dragons they stole from Alextrasza. Like their Earth counterparts, their wings are attached to their forelimbs. The thinking behind the scorpion-like tail is a mystery- such a tail was possessed by the manticore, not the Wyvern. Great Goddess Where: All mythologies. Corresponding Warcraft species: Elune, the Earthmother *"Whatever you call God, be certain that She is listening."- Raven Krikwood, Guardian of the Vision by Irene Radford Human reverence of the feminine side of things goes back farther than the conception of a male deity. Even after the multitude of male gods were introduced, the females never truly relinquished their power. Female deities of some sort can be found in many religions, most of whom were somehow involved in the workings of Earth, nature and fertility - thanks in part to the historically traditional view of females being the nurturing type. Even in the modern West, the Goddesses have not vanished by any means. "Great Goddess" is the term used by mythologists to describe a goddess of such extreme power that there are few or no male deities present in the religion. Examples of Earth Great Goddess include Ishtar of Babylon, Cybele of Anatolia, Isis and Hathor of Egypt, or the goddesses of Hindu mythology. Elune has no direct correspondence to any goddesses from Earth's traditions. The lunar deities of Ancient Greece, namely Artemis or Selene, are the closest in appearance and symbolism. As with any fictional goddess, there a relevent dash of Isis, the Egyptian goddess of magic, in Elune's temprement. Elune could be considered the "Queen of Heaven" to the Night Elves, but don't forget that she is the biological mother of the demigod Cenarius, revered by the druids. The Tauren Earthmother is self-explainatory. She is a counterpart to other Mother-Earth figures in Earth mythology, such as the Greek Gaia. In fact, the term "Earthmother" is used by some scholars to describe certain goddesses. Griffin Where: Greek (Minoan, Mycenaean, Classical), European folklore, Persian. Corresponding Warcraft species: Gryphon The origin of the Griffin is unknown. Greek sources from the Hellenistic (300s BCE) period tell of where the creatures might be found, but the imagery is far older. The Mycenaean civilization, which dates to around the 1000s BCE, feature Griffins and lions on what little artwork survive from the period. The even older Minoan civilization, who were contemporaries to Ancient Egypt, used Griffin imagery in their palaces and temples. Creatures that could be called Griffins are common motifs in Persian and Mesopotamian art, although these beasts are technically Cherubim. Gorgon Where: Greek mythology. Corresponding Warcraft species: Naga Sea Witch Wikipedia: Gorgons. "In Greek mythology, the Gorgons ("terrible" or, according to some, "loud-roaring") were vicious female monsters with sharp fangs and hair of living, venomous snakes." Of course, the Naga/Nagini were inspired by the Indian and Southeast Asian Naga, but the Sea Witch hero is clearly seen to have serpentine hair. Gorgons were said to be so ugly that any living thing to look upon their faces would turn to stone. The one exception was Medusa, who was simply cursed with the stony gaze, despite her facial beauty. It is highly erroneous to regard "Gorgon" and "Medusa" as synonyms. Medusa was an individual Gorgon. These are from the Greek myths, particularly that of Perseus. Harpy Where: Greek mythology. Corrosponding Warcraft Race: '''Harpy The harpies are described as vile birds with the chest and head of women in many sources. They are not prominent figures in Greek mythology; they are a minor part of the high-profile tale of Jason and the Argonauts. They were bird-women who worked for the Olympians, and were assigned to punish the seer-King Phinea for revealing too much of the future. Every day, as Phineas would sit down to a great feast, the harpies would fly down and gobble up all the food. When Jason finally arrived, the sons of the Norht Wind (as a favor to Iris, a goddess who supported Jason) drove the Harpies away to Crete, never to bother Phineas again. The physical appearance of Warcraft harpies is quite consistent with the original descriptions put forward by Ovid and Virgil. Hippogriff '''Where: Greek mythology, European folklore. Corresponding Warcraft species: Hippogriff In medieval times, it was said that griffins and horses were mortal enemies in the same sense dogs and cats are seen today. A hippogriff was a legendary hybrid of these two enemies, therefore it was a symbol of impossibility. An old expression was even made: "Jungentur jam grypes equis" or "To cross griffins with horses." Or in modern English, "When pigs fly." Kobold Where: German folklore. Corresponding Warcraft species: Kobold Minotaur Where: Greek Mythology. Corresponding Warcraft species: Tauren Name "Taurus" is Ancient Greek for "bull." "Minotaur" roughly translates to "Bull of Minos" (see below) The Myth The fearsome Minotaur, a man with the head of a bull, is one of the most famous monsters of the Greek myths. According to the tale, the god Poseidon sent a wonderous white bull to king Minos of Crete, as a symbol of the Sea-God's approval to the king. Minos was supposed to sacrifice the bull from the sea to Poseidon as a demonstration of piety, but Minos kept the bull to breed with his own cows. Enraged, Poseidon cursed the queen, Paisphae, with insatiable lust for the bull. With the twisted use of technology and magic, Paisphae mated with the bull. The Minotaur was their offspring. The beast grew quickly, under the supervision of his half-sisters, Ariadne and Phaidora. Eventually, the Minotaur was imprisoned in a complex maze crafted by Daedelos, the legendary inventor. Minos, in the meantime, had come to rule most of the area around Greece, and demanded yearly tribute of fourteen youths- seven girls and seven boys- from the city of Athens as a sacrifice to the Minotaur, now worshipped as a god. Eventually, the hero Theseus decided to eliminate the Minotaur (as heroes were wont to do in those days). With a little divine intervention, and a lot of assitance from Ariadne, Theseus slew the Minotaur. Origin The bull and the horns of a bull were important motifs to the Aegean culture of Crete, the Minoans (named after Minos), who flourished before the rise of the Classical Age Greeks who composed the epic poems of their myths. Bull-leaping was a sacred sport for the islanders, and bulls were sacrificed to several of the gods on important occasions. Ariadne is the name sometimes given to the Snake Goddess, the Minoan Great Goddess figure. Many theories have been put forward that the events of a forgotten altercation between Athens and Crete, combined with a limited understanding of Cretan culture, may have led to the rise of the Minotaur legend. Certainly, no records from Crete itself reference such a creature in any form. As for the maze in which the Minotaur was imprisoned, consider Greek architecture. With the occasional exception, everything in nice and orderly, quite symmetrical. The Minoans appear to have had a limited liking of symmetry; Minos's palace of Knossos is a complex maze-within-a-maze of buildings and rooms. Comparison The Tauren are nothing like the Minotaur. Blizzard simply took the appearance, referenced the name, and developed their own, positive culture for them. The result has been a being at least as successful as the original in terms of gripping the imagination. Naga Where: Southeast Asian mythologies, Indo-Aryan (Vedic), etc. Corresponding Warcraft species: the Naga The myths reference naga living high atop mountains and deep in caverns, but the majority of them live in underwater cities, where races of enslaved fish-people serve the Naga, whose prowess in sorcery is surpassed only by the gods themselves. The Naga and their females, the Nagini, took many forms: human-headed serpents, multi-headed serpents, humans with the heads of serpents, and of course, a serpent with the head and torso of a human. Female naga (Sea Witches, Sirens, and Summoners), properly called Nagini, have four arms, a direct refence to many of the Hindu pantheon, the Devas, namely Kali, Vishnu, and Shiva, who have four arms in most iconography. In terms of attitude and temprament, the Naga are neither good nor evil. Their motivations change from myth to myth (even from Veda to Veda), depending on the message. Naga can often be cast in the classic role of evil monsters, and many serve as the antagonists of the Devas, particularly Garuda, the king of the Birds. Alternatively, Naga are also extremely wise, and have aided many a legendary adventurer. A king of the Naga is recorded as using his seven heads as an umbrella to keep Gautama Siddhartha (later the Sakyamuni Buddha) dry as he meditated. Sirens Where:' Greek mythology Corresponding Warcraft species: Naga Siren The Sirens of Azeroth in different from their Earth counterparts in two major ways: firstly, they are of Greek, as opposed to Southeast Asian, mythology. Second, the Sirens were half-woman and half-bird, not part fish/snake, similar to the Harpy. The Sirens were capable of some magic; their songs were known to lure sailors to their deaths. Only one man ever heard their song and survived: Odysseus. The king of Ithaca (who also designed the Trojan Horse) filled the ears of his men with wax, then had them tie him to the ship's mast so he could hear the Sirens without killing himself. His survival prompted the mass suicide of the Sirens. During the Renaissance, many painting showed the Sirens as mermaids, which may have led to the introduction of "siren" as a word translating to "mermaid" in several major languages (including Spanish, French, Italian, Polish, and Portuguese). However, it must be stressed that Sirens and Mermaids are not the same creatures on Earth. Quetzalcoatl Where: Aztec mythology. Corresponding Warcraft species: Couatl, Hakkar the Soulflayer Quetzalcoatl was perhaps the most important Mesoamerican deity, depending on which culture you ask. To the Aztecs, he was third in the pantheon headed by Huitzilopochtli, the god of the sun and war. The Maya revered him as one of the kinder gods, very high up in the pantheon. He was the greatest god of the Toltecs. Quetzalcoatl was known by several names, such as, Aztec Quetzalcoatl, Mayan Gukumatz, Yucatan Kukulcan. A number of his names can be roughly translated to "Feathered Serpent." As a matter of simplicity, most use the name "Quetzalcoatl" when referring to him, regardless of culture. Quetzalcoatl was shown in all iconography as a feathered or plumed serpent, or else as a human holding such a serpent. Several of his names are simply the local dialect for "Feathered Serpent." This iconography is consistent with the appearance of Hakkar the Soulflayer. In fact, most troll architecture and culture (apart from that of the Amani) resembles that of the Maya; pyramids, reverence to gods who demand sacrifice, and blood magic. A number of myths place him at odd with his brother, Tezcatlipoca the Jaguar, typically a bloodier god the the Feathered Serpent. Since the Aztecs sacrificed humans in far greater numbers than the Maya or the Toltecs, some have theorized that this was a result of the Aztecs' lower placement of Quetzalcoatl in the pantheon. Salamander Where: European folklore. Corresponding Warcraft species: Salamander Dragons, A natural history, by Dr. Karl Shuker, p.110-112. "Resembling a somewhat doglike lizard, the salamander... was so cold that, simply by stepping into a fire, it could imediatly extingusih the flames. During the middle ages, the salamander underwent a profound evolutionary transformation. It became a creature that activly amid blazing fires." The biological salamander on Earth is a harmless family of amphibians, the same class of beings as frogs and toads. Mythologically, as seen above, numerous powers were attributed to it, either being so cold or so hot. Satyr Where: Greek mythology. Corresponding Warcraft species: Satyr Titan Where: Greek mythology. Corresponding Warcraft species: the Titans The offspring of Gaia, the earth and Ouranos, the sky, the Titans were the rulers of the early Greek universe, wherein their world was considered a Golden Age. Eventually, the children of Cronus, the Olympians, overthrew them in longlasting war, called the Titanomachy. The only correlation between the Titans of Greek mythology and the Titans of Warcraft Lore is the name and their "titanic" nature. The WarCraft Titans are also similar to the Valar from the Middle-Earth legendarium by J.R.R. Tolkien. Aesir Where: Norse mythology. Corresponding Warcraft species: Aesir Titans The Aesir were the primary gods of the Norse pantheon. They inhabited Asgard high in the boughs of the world tree, Yggdrasil. The most famous Aesir were Odin and Thor. Odin The basis of Aman'Thul the Highfather. Odin was the ruler of the Aesir (and most other people, actually) by virtue of being the father of most of them (hence, "Allfather). Odin wielded a spear that would always return when thrown. This bears a similarity to Zeus of the Olympian pantheon, though Odin was far more sympathetic to mankind. Aman'Thul does bear a mild similarity to Zeus in his lightning powers. Heimdall Heimdall was the watchman of Asgard, who notified the gods to intrusions from the giants. Heimdall carefully guided humanity during its infancy, and his eventual destiny is to blow a mystical horn that will herald the end of the world. Golganneth appears to be based on Heimdall, with a relevant dash of the "thunderer"-archetype common in many mythologies, for example the Greek Zeus and the Vedic Indra, leading back to the Proto-Indo-European thunderer, Perkwunos. Thor Aggramar the Avenger is a mighty warrior wielding a magical sword to smite the enemies of order. There can be little doubt that the legendary Aesir, Thor the Thunderer, is the basis of Aggramar's character. Thor owned an extremely powerful hammer, the most powerful weapon in Viking mythology, and was the chief warrior of the gods. Note that Thor was an Aesir, but Aggramar is a Vanir. Vanir Where: Norse. Corresponding Warcraft species: Vanir Titans The Vanir, of a reasonable height, were the second-most powerful race of gods in the Norse religion. Their realm, Vanarheim, was higher than Midgard (Earth) but lower than Asgard on the World Tree. The distinction between Vanir and Aesir has never been made clear apart from the location of their homes, and with the exception of a single war, the two races are staunch allies. In fact, three Vanir- Njord, Freyr, and Freyja- were counted among the greatest of the Aesir. To mortals, and in religious practice, there was no real reason to differentiate. Troll Where: Scandinavian folklore. Corresponding Warcraft species: Trolls Yggdrasil Where: Norse. Corresponding Warcraft Species: Nordrassil and Teldrassil (The World Trees) In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil (also sometimes called Mímameiðr or Lérað) is the "World Tree", a gigantic European ash, thought to connect all the nine worlds of Norse cosmology. Lore